Redlands FC host first place Ventura County Fusion in critical matchup
Home game: Friday, June 27 at 7pm
For the second time in as many games, Redlands FC will have a chance to take down the team in first place in the Southwest Division. This time though it is not FC Tucson, but rather the Ventura County Fusion.
The Opponent
The Fusion come in with 6 wins and just 1 loss, good for 18 points and top of the Southwest Division based on points per game. The Fusion are frequently in the USL2 playoffs, and have two national championships with the most recent one coming in 2022.
The last time these two teams met as first and second place in the division at Dodge Stadium, Redlands took down the Fusion to win the Southwest back in 2023. A replication of that result would be ideal for the home side.
Back in Control
Thanks to their win over FC Tucson and some help around the league, Redlands FC control their own destiny into the playoffs with just four matches remaining.
A win against the Fusion on Friday would not allow Redlands to jump them in the standings based on points per game, but it would put them up two points overall on the Fusion with Ventura having just one game in hand.
Redlands will face the Fusion again though in July, so a season sweep would give them an opportunity to be division champions for the second time in the club’s three year history.
Player to Watch: Javier Hernandez
After missing the previous two matches, Javier Hernandez is expected to be back in the lineup for Friday’s matchup. Hernandez was tied for 3rd in scoring in all of USL2 before missing some time.
With Redlands also getting back Troy Elgersma and Javier’s brother, Miguel, the field should open up for Redlands top scorer to quickly get back into rhythm.
Final Notes:
Following the match against the Fusion, Redlands will have just two regular season home games remaining, both coming against teams currently out of the playoff picture.
The match on Friday night is set to kick off at 7 PM. It will be streamed on Sports Engine, and fans can buy tickets for the match at https://www.redlandsfootballclub.com/tickets.
